Australia's Sydney International Open has a growing reputation for attracting international grandmasters to compete in this part of the world. Starting on the back of Canberra's Doberl Cup over Easter, the two events form an Australian 'circuit' that makes the travel costs worthwhile for overseas players. Naturally this includes New Zealand players wanting to experience the rigours of international competition. Along with regulars FM Mike Steadman, WFM Helen Milligan and Hilton Bennett, this year's group of New Zealanders in Sydney included strong juniors WIM Sue Maroroa (19), Daniel Shen (14) and Alan Ansell (12). The youngest two had aquitted themselves excellently in the New Zealand congess in January (Shen third in the championship and Ansell first in the major open) and were looking to test themselves against the professionals.
First place in Sydney was shared by a group of three on 7/9: Bulgarian GM Dejan Bojkov, English GM Gawain Jones and Australia's top GM Zong-Yuan Zhao. The New Zealand contingent finished in the order Steadman 5, Shen 4½, Ansell 4, Bennett & Maroroa 3½ and Milligan 3 among the field of 76.
Today's game is from the first round in Sydney and is notable for two features. Firstly, the victory for Alan Ansell (playing White) against seasoned Australian grandmaster Darryl Johansen. Secondly, the game contains an illegal move that went unnoticed by both players – a rare event in an international tournament.
1.d4 c5 2.d5 Nf6 3.Nf3 g6 4.c4 Bg7 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bf4!? ---
Standard would be 6 e4 or 6 g3 with a typical Benoni/Benko position. Developing the bishop here is not necessarily bad though, and a useful way of avoiding the grandmaster's extensive knowledge of main lines. 6.--- 0-0 7.Qd2 a6 8.e4 Qa5 9.Bd3 b5 10.0-0 Nbd7 11.h3 bxc4 12.Bxc4 Qb4 13.Bd3 a5 14.a3 Qb6
Black would be quite happy with his position here. Although roughly level, his queenside play down the open file aginst the b-pawn is persistent, while White's attacking chances on the kingside still appear some way off. 15.Rfe1 Bb7 16.Na4 Qd8 17.Bh6 Re8 18.Bxg7 Kxg7
White has carried out the preliminary to any attack – the exchange of Black's defensive bishop. 19.Nc3 Qb6 20.Bb5 Red8 21.a4 Qc7 22.b3 Rab8 23.Qb2 Kg8
Not comfortable with occupying the same diagonal as the white queen, the black king leaves the hole on h6 unguarded. White immediately heads for it, knowing that a draw by repetition is not to the grandmaster's taste. 24.Qd2! Ne8 25.Qh6 f6
Preventing 26 Ng5. Black is not overly concerned with the queen's presence on h6, so White manouvres more pieces to the kingside. 26.Ne2 Ng7 27.Bc4?! ---
The immediate 27 Nf4 aiming at g6 seems more to the point, with a tempo up on the game. E.g. 27 ...Qb6(?) 28 Re3! Ne5 29 Nxe5 fxe5 30 Nxg6! hxg6 31 Qxg6 Qc7 ( If 31...Rf8 32 Rg3 Rf7 33 Bd7! followed by Be6 wins) 32 Rg3 e6 33 dxe6 and White's attacking chances are rather good for the piece invested. 27.--- Qb6 28.Nf4 Ba6!
By exchanging bishops Black both dilutes White's attacking power and starts to make headway down the b-file. 29.Bxa6 Qxa6 30.Re3 Ne5 31.Nxe5 fxe5
Black has assured himself that 32 Nxg6?! hxg6 33 Qxg6 leads nowhere after 33 ... Rf8 34 Rg3 Rf7 as White has no more firepower. However he could not have foreseen the move his opponent actually played... 32.Nh2!!! Rb4?
Amazingly, with time pressure looming, neither player noticed the knight retreat was illegal (the !s are for shock and not to indicate a good move – it should have been penalised). Black plays on blithely unaware that the knight's new circuit has fundamentally strengthened White's attack. The only survival hope was to give up the exchange by 32 ... Rf8 33 Nf3 Nh5 34 Ng5 Nf6 35 Rf3 Rf7 when White should still eventually win. 33.Nf3 Nh5 34.Ng5 Nf6 35.Ne6 Resigns
After 35... Nh5 36 Rf3! (threatening 37 Rf8+) Qa8 37 Ng5 Nf6 38 Rxf6! and mate in two more moves. The result stands, as the game was already decided before the illegal move was discovered.
Kiwi juniors seek Sydney experience
Problem: Black to play and mate in three.
Australia's Sydney International Open has a growing reputation for attracting international grandmasters to compete in this part of the world. Starting on the back of Canberra's Doberl Cup over Easter, the two events form an Australian 'circuit' that makes the travel costs worthwhile for overseas players. Naturally this includes New Zealand players wanting to experience the rigours of international competition. Along with regulars FM Mike Steadman, WFM Helen Milligan and Hilton Bennett, this year's group of New Zealanders in Sydney included strong juniors WIM Sue Maroroa (19), Daniel Shen (14) and Alan Ansell (12). The youngest two had aquitted themselves excellently in the New Zealand congess in January (Shen third in the championship and Ansell first in the major open) and were looking to test themselves against the professionals.
First place in Sydney was shared by a group of three on 7/9: Bulgarian GM Dejan Bojkov, English GM Gawain Jones and Australia's top GM Zong-Yuan Zhao. The New Zealand contingent finished in the order Steadman 5, Shen 4½, Ansell 4, Bennett & Maroroa 3½ and Milligan 3 among the field of 76.
Today's game is from the first round in Sydney and is notable for two features. Firstly, the victory for Alan Ansell (playing White) against seasoned Australian grandmaster Darryl Johansen. Secondly, the game contains an illegal move that went unnoticed by both players – a rare event in an international tournament.
1.d4 c5
2.d5 Nf6
3.Nf3 g6
4.c4 Bg7
5.Nc3 d6
6.Bf4!? ---
Standard would be 6 e4 or 6 g3 with a typical Benoni/Benko position. Developing the bishop here is not necessarily bad though, and a useful way of avoiding the grandmaster's extensive knowledge of main lines.
6.--- 0-0
7.Qd2 a6
8.e4 Qa5
9.Bd3 b5
10.0-0 Nbd7
11.h3 bxc4
12.Bxc4 Qb4
13.Bd3 a5
14.a3 Qb6
Black would be quite happy with his position here. Although roughly level, his queenside play down the open file aginst the b-pawn is persistent, while White's attacking chances on the kingside still appear some way off.
15.Rfe1 Bb7
16.Na4 Qd8
17.Bh6 Re8
18.Bxg7 Kxg7
White has carried out the preliminary to any attack – the exchange of Black's defensive bishop.
19.Nc3 Qb6
20.Bb5 Red8
21.a4 Qc7
22.b3 Rab8
23.Qb2 Kg8
Not comfortable with occupying the same diagonal as the white queen, the black king leaves the hole on h6 unguarded. White immediately heads for it, knowing that a draw by repetition is not to the grandmaster's taste.
24.Qd2! Ne8
25.Qh6 f6
Preventing 26 Ng5. Black is not overly concerned with the queen's presence on h6, so White manouvres more pieces to the kingside.
26.Ne2 Ng7
27.Bc4?! ---
The immediate 27 Nf4 aiming at g6 seems more to the point, with a tempo up on the game. E.g. 27 ...Qb6(?) 28 Re3! Ne5 29 Nxe5 fxe5 30 Nxg6! hxg6 31 Qxg6 Qc7 ( If 31...Rf8 32 Rg3 Rf7 33 Bd7! followed by Be6 wins) 32 Rg3 e6 33 dxe6 and White's attacking chances are rather good for the piece invested.
27.--- Qb6
28.Nf4 Ba6!
By exchanging bishops Black both dilutes White's attacking power and starts to make headway down the b-file.
29.Bxa6 Qxa6
30.Re3 Ne5
31.Nxe5 fxe5
Black has assured himself that 32 Nxg6?! hxg6 33 Qxg6 leads nowhere after 33 ... Rf8 34 Rg3 Rf7 as White has no more firepower. However he could not have foreseen the move his opponent actually played...
32.Nh2!!! Rb4?
Amazingly, with time pressure looming, neither player noticed the knight retreat was illegal (the !s are for shock and not to indicate a good move – it should have been penalised). Black plays on blithely unaware that the knight's new circuit has fundamentally strengthened White's attack. The only survival hope was to give up the exchange by 32 ... Rf8 33 Nf3 Nh5 34 Ng5 Nf6 35 Rf3 Rf7 when White should still eventually win.
33.Nf3 Nh5
34.Ng5 Nf6
35.Ne6 Resigns
After 35... Nh5 36 Rf3! (threatening 37 Rf8+) Qa8 37 Ng5 Nf6 38 Rxf6! and mate in two more moves. The result stands, as the game was already decided before the illegal move was discovered.
1-0
Solution: 1 ... g5+! 2 Kxh5 Qxe2+ 3 g4 Qe8#.